Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 293
Filtering by
- Creators: College of Integrative Sciences and Arts
Description
The purpose of this study was to create a screening tool specifically for the identification of sex trafficking victims in the medical setting through the analysis of existing human trafficking screening tool studies geared towards use in the medical setting. Screening questions from these studies were compiled and modified into a survey that was distributed to healthcare professionals through the nationwide HEAL (Health Professional Education, Advocacy, Linkage) Trafficking listserv. Each screening tool study demonstrated benefits and disadvantages that were helpful in the sampling and selection of screening tool questions. The small sample size and a lack of data on the attitudes of medical professionals on sex trafficked victims were noted as limitations to this study. Further implications for this study would include validating the screening tool questions in a medical setting to determine the sensitivity of the survey in identifying patients as possible sex trafficking victims.
ContributorsCatano, Karen Samantha (Co-author) / Byun, Jiwon (Co-author) / Roe-Sepowitz, Dominique (Thesis director) / Lee, Maurice (Committee member) / School for the Science of Health Care Delivery (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Insects have intricate systems they depend on for survival. They live in societies where every individual plays an important role. Ants are a great example of this observation. They are known for having structurally sound societies that ensure the livelihood of the colony. The ant species analyzed for this research, Harpegnathos saltator, portrays a structured colony and serves as a useful example of levels of hierarchy. In the colony of H. saltator, one can find a queen, gamergates, workers, and male ants living underground in Southern India. Recording and analyzing egg-laying rates are important in this study because of the amount of information it provides. It is used especially when observing the relationship among the gamergates in colonies with varying colony sizes. Three different methods were used to record the egg-laying rates, each providing insight into valuable information. Results show that the smaller colonies with fewer identified gamergates do share an equal amount of egg-laying. In larger colonies, it appears that there are more active identified gamergates than others. Egg-laying duration times are smaller in colonies with fewer gamergates. It is also found that the presence of brood does not affect egg-laying rates and reproductive inhibition could be a possibility based on two of the colonies observed F65 and F21. Based on the data found, a more active colony that attempts to maintain stability by demonstrating aggression may be affecting the reproduction of gamergates. Future work that would further strengthen the research and conclusions made would involve further observation of colonies, both large and small, with varying numbers of gamergates. More observation involving behavior among gamergates and workers would also be beneficial. Mathematical modeling could also be incorporated to create equations that could determine information about colonies based on size, number of gamergates, and egg-laying rates.
ContributorsMayoral, Alejandra (Author) / Kang, Yun (Thesis director) / Liebig, Juergen (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
INTRODUCTION: This thesis delves into how PR-media relations evolved in the past 20 years (since 1997). It discusses several aspects of media relations, such as relationships, old and new media relations tools, pitching and predictions about the future of media relations. LITERATURE REVIEW: A review of previous literature on media relations guided this research. Past research explained stigmas about the relationship between public relations professionals and journalists, how pitching has evolved, social media's role in modern day media relations and the dynamic between earned and owned media. METHODOLOGY: The research involved a mixed method approach with qualitative and quantitative methods. First, in-depth interviews were conducted with both journalists and public relations professionals who work in Arizona. These interviews were conducted either in-person or over the phone. Second, two in-depth interviews were conducted over the phone with a public relations professional who worked at Intel for over 20 years for a case study. Finally, a survey was distributed to public relations professionals in Arizona via email and through social media websites (Facebook and Twitter) to provide insight on the media relations tactics they have recently utilized, as well as their use of social media. There were also five follow-up interviews conducted with survey respondents. FINDINGS: After conducting these three methods of research, the qualitative (quotes) and quantitative (survey) data were analyzed to provide detailed opinions about media relations including: the relationships between public relations professionals and the media, the use of old and new media relations tools, what an effective pitch looks like, the use of social media, comparisons between less and more experienced PR professionals, and predictions on the future of media relations. DISCUSSION: The findings from this research led to several conclusions regarding media relations such as: the importance of maintaining a trusting and respectful relationship, traditional tools' place in modern day media relations, email's dominance as a media relations tool, the hesitation by PR professionals to use social media as a communication tool with journalists, more experienced PR professionals' lack of hesitation to use social media as a communication tool with journalists, and the prediction that relationships will remain key in media relations despite the changes in media relations tools themselves. CONCLUSION: Based on all of the findings from this research, it was concluded that media relations has evolved to keep up with the changing media landscape, however, traditional tools and practices remain relevant and essential to media relations.
ContributorsTillman, Krista Michelle (Author) / Wu, Xu (Thesis director) / Bovio, Sonia (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Vitamins and minerals are, by definition, essential substances that are necessary for good health, and needed by every cell and organ to function appropriately. A deficiency of any one vitamin or mineral can be very serious. Although a very healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and protein can provide sufficient amounts of most vitamins and minerals, many people do not consume an adequate diet. During pregnancy, there is an increased need for vitamins and minerals to promote a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Prenatal supplements are intended to supplement a normal diet to ensure that adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals are consumed. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established Recommended Dietary Allowances for total vitamin/mineral intake from food and supplements, but they have not established recommendations for prenatal supplements. Therefore, there is a very wide variation in the content and quality of prenatal supplements. Many prenatal supplements contain only minimal levels of some vitamins and few or no minerals, in order to minimize cost and the number of pills. This results in insufficient vitamin/mineral supplementation for many women, and hence does not fully protect them or their children from pregnancy complications and health problems. Therefore, we have created our own set of recommendations for prenatal supplements. Our recommendations are based primarily on four sources: 1) FDA's Recommended Daily Allowances for pregnant women, which are estimated to meet the needs of 97.5% of healthy pregnant women. 2) FDA's Tolerable Upper Limit, which is the maximum amount of vitamins/minerals that can be safely consumed without any risk of health problems. 3) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which evaluates the average intake of vitamins and minerals by women ages 20-40 years in the US 4) Research studies on vitamin/mineral deficiencies or vitamin/mineral supplementation during pregnancy, and the effect on pregnancy, birth, and child health problems. In summary, the RDA establishes minimum recommended levels of vitamin/mineral intake from all sources, and the NHANES establishes the average intake from foods. The difference is what needs to be consumed in a supplement, on average. However, since people vary greatly in the quality of their diet, and since most vitamins and minerals have a high Tolerable Upper Limit, we generally recommend more than the difference between the RDA and the average NHANES. Vitamins generally have a larger Tolerable Upper Limit than do minerals. So, we recommend that prenatal vitamin/mineral supplements contain 100% of the RDA for most vitamins, and about 50% of the RDA for most minerals. However, based on additional research studies described below, in some cases we vary our recommendations from those averages.
ContributorsSorenson, Jacob (Author) / Adams, James (Thesis director) / Pollard, Elena (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Each year, 30,000 patients obtain transplants. To prevent graft rejection, immunosuppressants such as tacrolimus are prescribed. Due to tacrolimus's narrow therapeutic range, a dose that is too low places patients at risk for transplant rejection, but too high of a dose leads to kidney failure. The de facto method for monitoring of transplant patient health is bimonthly blood draws, which are cumbersome, painful, and difficult to translate into urgently needed dosage changes in a timely manner. To improve long-term transplant survival rates, we propose a finger-prick sensor that will provide patients and healthcare providers with a measurement of tacrolimus, immune health (through IL-12), and kidney damage (through cystatin C) levels 100 times more frequently than the status quo. Additionally, patient quality of life will be improved due to reduction in time and pain associated with blood draws. Optimal binding frequencies for each marker were found. However, due to limitations with EIS, the integration of the detection of the three markers into one multimarker sensing platform has not yet been realized. To this end, impedance-time tests were run on each marker along with different antibodies, and optimal times of each marker were determined to be 17s, 6s, and 2s, for tacrolimus, cystatin c, and IL-12, respectively (n=6). The integration of impedance-time analysis with traditional EIS methodologies has the potential to enable multi-marker analysis by analyzing binding kinetics on a single electrode with respect to time. Thus, our results provide unique insight into possibilities to improve and facilitate detection of multiple markers not only for the sensor for solid organ transplant patients, but for the monitoring of patients with disease that also entail the observation of multiple markers. Furthermore, the use of impedance-time testing also provides the ability for another way to optimize accuracy/precision of marker detection because it specifies a particular time, in addition to a particular optimal binding frequency, at which to measure concentration.
ContributorsDoshi, Meera Kshitij (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Steidley, Eric (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Modeling sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) has been a challenge since there is no known single gene mutation that triggers disease pathogenesis. Although human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have created new opportunities in studying sALS, they do not retain important age associated phenotypic markers due to the rejuvenation stage that takes place during the reprogramming of somatic cells into hiPSCs. To overcome this obstacle, we performed an alternative method of direct neuronal conversion from patient fibroblasts that utilizes two transcription factors, Ngn2 and Ascl1. These transcription factors were sufficient to initiate direct neuronal conversion and produce induced neurons (iNeurons). Through the positive staining of neuronal markers Map2, Synapsin-1, and Human Nuclear Marker we found that induced neurons do display neuronal features that are seen in mature neurons.
ContributorsSwinford, Sarah Joan (Author) / Neisewander, Janet (Thesis director) / Sattler, Rita (Committee member) / Nelson, Andrew (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
DescriptionMy main goal for my thesis is in conjunction with the research I started in the summer of 2010 regarding the creation of a TBI continuous-time sensor. Such goals include: characterizing the proteins in sensing targets while immobilized, while free in solution, and while in free solution in the blood.
ContributorsHaselwood, Brittney (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Pizziconi, Vincent (Committee member) / Cook, Curtiss (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2011-12
Description
The Honors Thesis involved the use of vertically-aligned, piezoelectric nanowire sensor arrays configured by Dr. Henry A. Sodano and Dr. Aneesh Koka from the University of Florida, in order to acquire acceleration data. Originally, the project was focused on interfacing and calibrating the barium titanate (BaTio3) sensors to measure wall shear stress, a fluid dynamic characteristic. In order to gain an understanding of these novel piezoelectric sensors, the experiments performed by Sodano and Koka were to be investigated, replicated, and results reproduced. After initial trial phases, signals failed to be consistently measured from the sensors and the project's emphasis was re-defined. The outlined goals were 1) to re-design the initial system used for signal acquisition, 2) test the improved signal acquisition system, 3) successfully measure output signals from the BaTiO3 nanowire sensors, and 4) determine the cause for inconsistent signal measurements from the piezoelectric nanawire sensors. Following a detailed review of the previous experimental procedures and the initial signal acquisition system, an improved acquisition system was designed and its expected behavior was tested and verified. Despite the introduction of the improved acquisition system, voltage outputs were unable to be measured as a function of shaker table acceleration. It was impossible to verify the effect of the improved signal acquisition system on the measured BaTiO3 nanowire sensor output. Based on an analysis of data collected using a commercial 3-axis acceleromoeter, it is hypothesized that the BaTiO3 nanowire sensors were broken after the first experimental trial due to an excessively applied force from an external source (i.e. shaker table, improper handling during experimentation, and/or improper handling during transportation).
ContributorsThomas, Jonah (Author) / Frakes, David (Thesis director) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The purpose of this project was to examine the viability of protein biomarkers in pre-symptomatic detection of lung cancer. Regular screening has been shown to vastly improve patient survival outcome. Lung cancer currently has the highest occurrence and mortality of all cancers and so a means of screening would be highly beneficial. In this research, the biomarker neuron-specific enolase (Enolase-2, eno2), a marker of small-cell lung cancer, was detected at varying concentrations using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in order to develop a mathematical model of predicting protein expression based on a measured impedance value at a determined optimum frequency. The extent of protein expression would indicate the possibility of the patient having small-cell lung cancer. The optimum frequency was found to be 459 Hz, and the mathematical model to determine eno2 concentration based on impedance was found to be y = 40.246x + 719.5 with an R2 value of 0.82237. These results suggest that this approach could provide an option for the development of small-cell lung cancer screening utilizing electrochemical technology.
ContributorsEvans, William Ian (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Spano, Mark (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
In order to address infant respiratory distress syndrome, this study attempts to develop and characterize a textile strain gauge fabricated with stainless steel, wool, elastic, and tencel. Faire Isle knitted patterns are investigated in order to create channels of conductivity for a linear sensor. The effect linear yarn density on linearity and sensitivity and hysteresis of the sensors is also investigated for sensor optimization. It was found that there was a significant difference between the patterned and non-patterned samples. The patterned sensors were found to have a lower range of resistance than the non-patterned sensors and a smaller average standard of deviation between measurements. The 7 tension, lower linear yarn density, elastic patterned sample was the only sample to not exhibit hysteresis after three trials as well as have a linear range from 11.5cm to 13cm where the sensor behaves in accordance with a linear transfer function.
ContributorsBrown, Shannon (Co-author) / Irimata, Lisa (Co-author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Hanson, Erika (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05